


Stay

by madders



Series: Out Of Gas AU [6]
Category: Firefly
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-11
Updated: 2012-07-11
Packaged: 2017-11-09 16:04:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/457353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madders/pseuds/madders
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follows on from "Return," "Wait" and "Interlude"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stay

Jayne was brought back from his nice happy dream to reality when the proximity alert shrieked at him from the console. A quick look confirmed it was only the other shuttle returning, and he hit the switch to silence the alarm, cutting it off mid screetch.

Getting up quickly, Jayne headed for the cargo bay to wait for the rest of the crew. He realized he was still clutching the blanket, and without really thinking about it, he dropped it down the hatch into Mal's bunk as he passed.

He got to the cargo bay just as the clanking noise of the shuttle docking rang out. He was already half way up the stairs to hurry them along when the doors sprung open and the Doc damn near fell in his haste. He caught Jayne's gaze and nodded.

"Where is he?" Simon asked hurriedly, rushing but not knowing where he was rushing to.

"We got 'im to t'infirmary." Jayne replied, reversing course and leading the Doc on his way.

"He been shot." Jayne explained. "Don't know how long ago, but there's trails all over this boat." He added.

He turned when he realized that Simon had stopped following him, and was stood in the corridor in shock.

"Shot? Are you sure?" Simon asked, worriedly.

"'Course I'm sure. I cause enough of 'em to know 'em when I see 'em." Jayne huffed. "Now come on with ya. We need to get you t'infirmary and patching Mal up."

"How in the diyu did he manage to get himself shot?" Simon asked, exasperated.

"My best guess is that his miracle arrived with guns and Mal had ta fight 'em off." Jayne replied over his shoulder, not bothering to stop. "Kaylee's checking the engine to make sure we're good to go and then we're outta here, lessen they decide to come back." He added, stopping outside the infirmary doors.

Simon halted in the doorway, blanching at the blood all over the doors and the floor; at the whiteness of Mal's usually tan skin.

"You fix 'im Doc. Y'hear me? You fix him good."

Jayne's words pierced him and he looked up, believing that he could almost see the concern behind Jayne's normally blank expression. He reached up a hand and laid it gently on Jayne's arm.

"You make sure we're safe, and I'll make sure he's safe." Simon replied, tightening his grip a little before letting him go. Neither one of them was normally the kind for touching each other, but this was an exception.

Jayne nodded and stepped away, letting Simon go to work on Mal before turning and going to do what he had to do.

He knew he hadta distract hisself, lessen he end up hovering outside the infirmary, staring at Mal on the bed. So first he went and found Wash and Zoe, helping her back to the infirmary before leaving quickly, 'fore he got to where he couldn't leave. Then he went 'n found Kaylee, making sure it was all shiny for them to go.

With that, he went back to the infirmary, and dragged Wash away long 'nough to get them moving again as fast as they dared, carrying on the way they had been goin' till they had a better idea where else to go. Jayne then took Wash back to the infirmary, watching as Simon put in a drip to give Wash's blood to Mal.

He caught Zoe's eye, as she was now more or less with it again, and she called him closer. He gave her a quick run down of what'd happened, all the while looking at the Doc working on Mal. Zoe's hand on his arm startled him, and he jumped.

"You're doing great Jayne." She told him with a wan smile. "Everything's gonna be alright."

"You don't know that." He replied, looking down at her for the first time.

"No, but I know Mal." She replied. "And we both know that he's the most stubborn feng le hundan either of us has ever known." Her smile brightened and Jayne couldn't help but return it.

"That he is." He admitted.

"So he's far too stubborn to let this stop him now. Not when he's managed to do the impossible. Again. You just know he's gonna wake up and gloat 'bout how he was right now, dontcha?" She smiled and flicked her gaze across to him, watching as Simon pulled another small piece of metal out of the wound and dropped it on the tray Inara was holding. Her smile dropped a little and then it was her turn to jump, as Jayne's hand came up to rest on her shoulder.

"Yeah, you're right. He's a feng le gan ni niang, but he's ours. And we ain't gonna let him go either. Not none of us." He smiled tightly, looking up to see Wash, Simon, Inara, River and Book had all heard him, and were all looking at him, agreement on their faces. He moved closer to Mal and looked down at him, running light fingers across his brow.

"You hang on Mal. Y'hear me, you hang on."

Simon stopped his movements to let Jayne have a moment, before silently going back to work. River moved to stand beside Jayne, staring down at the Captain lying still on the bed.

"Not right, stillness. He doesn't like it. Too quiet, too cold. No rest for the wicked." River muttered, her hand fluttering above Mal's head. Jayne reached up and grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand away.

"River." Simon warned softly, not wanting Jayne to snap, yet not able to safely take his attention from Mal long enough to stop them.

River looked at her brother and pulled a face before slipping her hand out of Jayne's grip and dancing her way to the infirmary doorway.

"He needs to be warm." She smiled before disappearing out of sight, followed by Book.

"I'll watch her." He reassured Simon over his shoulder as he too vanished from view.

Jayne glared at the empty doorway for a moment before looking back down at Mal.

"How's he lookin' Doc?" He asked.

Simon paused for only a moment before replying. "I've managed to remove all the foreign bodies from the wound and have stopped the majority of the bleeding. However, the Captain had already lost a lot of blood before I got here, so it will be difficult to determine his condition until he regains consciousness."

Jayne looked at him blankly and Simon sighed.

"I won't know until he wakes up."

"Why didn't you say so the first time 'round?" Jayne huffed, ignoring Inara's grin.

"'m gonna go keep an eye out, just in case those wang bao dahn try 'n sneak up on us." He muttered, brushing his fingers across Mal's forehead once more before leaving.

Wash looked between the empty doorway and his wife, a small smile on his face.

"He's almost cute when he's worried like that."

Zoe shot him a look. "If it was me, wouldn't you be the same?"

The smile fell from Wash's face as he remembered the sheer panic he had felt when Zoe had been hurt.

"It's not the same thing." Inara spoke up, flinching at the glare she received from Zoe and surprisingly enough Simon.

"Don't be so sure." Zoe replied. Simon sensed the escalating tensions in the room and moved to diffuse it.

"Inara? Could you go and make sure the Shepherd isn't having any problems with River, only she has been through quite an ordeal and I don't know how she is really going to react."

Inara was smart enough to recognize the request for what it was, so she simply put down the instruments she was holding and nodded, leaving the infirmary and heading back to her shuttle.

Simon sighed and started closing up the Captain's wound.

"You know, even I have come to accept that Jayne and the Captain are good for each other, despite the many misgivings I initially had. Why can't Inara?"

Zoe smiled tightly. "That's 'cos you never had any designs on either of 'em. Inara's been carrying a torch for Mal for years, it ain't easy to let go of as easy as all that. Specially when you think you'd be better for him." She replied.

"I guess you're right." Simon replied. "But I think she's wrong."

Zoe and Wash both looked at him expectantly. Simon looked down at Mal and thought about it.

"I don't think she'd be better." With that, Simon went back to work, patching the Captain up carefully, thinking about the unguarded look he had seen on Jayne's face when he had pleaded Mal to stay.

**Author's Note:**

> diyu= hell  
> feng le hundan= crazy bastard  
> feng le gan ni niang= crazy motherfucker  
> wang bao dahn =dirty bastard sons-of


End file.
